Oprichnina of Ivan IV: Petty tyranny of a formidable tsar or the need for a cruel era

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The reign of the first Russian tsar has not yet received an unambiguous assessment. Some scholars consider this period the most cruel in the history of Russia, others are inclined to consider it a significant stage in the formation of the country's greatness. But everyone agrees that the oprichnina is the most controversial phenomenon of that time. Until now, it has not been possible to answer the main question: what is it? Cruel necessity or evil brainchild of a sick mind.

The origins of the oprichnina

There are two opposite opinions about the reasons for the emergence of the oprichnina. The first suggests that as a result of heavy personal experiences and losses, the Russian tsar became painfully suspicious. He saw conspiracies in everything, became suspicious, and then he was possessed by an unrestrained desire to take revenge on his offenders. Hence the idea of creating punitive detachments, selflessly devoted only to him, arose.

But there is also another point of view. If we turn to the facts, then it is easy to find that the tsar's suspicion was not born out of nowhere. Conspiracies and attempts to belittle the power of Ivan IV were not uncommon. Often they were attended by those whom the autocrat especially trusted.

So, for example, when the ruler of Rus suffered a serious illness from which he almost died, his comrades-in-arms openly refused to swear allegiance to his son and began to prepare Vladimir Staritsky for the throne. Another striking example is Prince A. M. Kurbsky. The closest adherent of Ivan IV, who in the midst of the Livonian War fled to the side of the enemy.

He not only betrayed all the strategic secrets to the enemy, but for many years he spread the dirtiest and most implausible rumors about the Russian tsar. And these people Grozny was supposed to trust in the future? Therefore, the second opinion of historians is based on the fact that under the prevailing conditions of external and internal political pressure, in order to preserve the unity of the country, it was necessary to secure their rights to autocratic power.

Abdication

Be that as it may, in January 1565 Ivan IV abdicates the throne from the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. And he writes 2 letters: the first was addressed to the boyars and the clergy, accusing him of treason; the second - to the people, in which the king tells people that he does not hold any grudge against them. A few days later, a delegation was sent to the settlement with the aim of returning the autocrat. But Grozny put forward his own conditions, one of which was the creation of special lands, oprichnina, on which his power would be absolute.

The birth of a new empire

All other lands received the name Zemshchina and remained under the control of the Boyar Duma. There are many terrible legends about the oprichnina, terrifying the history lover who is not immersed in the topic. But let's take a look at some of them from the point of view of facts. The first myth. The idea of the guardsmen. According to the prevailing opinion, these are gloomy warriors, dressed in all black, like monks. A dog's head is tied to their saddles, and a broom is tied to their horses' necks.

The symbolism reflects the main goal of the oprichnina army - to sniff out and sweep out treason. But it is worth noting that in fact these were not punitive detachments at all. The most trusted, intelligent people were among the guardsmen. Their distinctive feature was loyalty to the sovereign, and their goal was to help Ivan IV free himself from the obsolete system of government and the principles of relationships that had been dragging on since the time of the princely feuds. The second myth.

The period of the oprichnina is usually called the time of the most severe repressions. As a result of the policy pursued, prominent political figures were brutally executed, as a result of the massacre of the inhabitants of Novgorod, about 10 thousand people were killed, and the punitive raids of the guardsmen terrified the entire population. But let's look at the facts. How do we know the names of most of the executed members of the upper class? Many names are known thanks to the synodal records of Grozny.

The king was a deeply religious person and personally prayed for the slain. And what was happening at that time in Europe? In England, a process of fencing of land took place, as a result of which people were driven from the land, and then thousands were executed for vagrancy. There were bloody religious wars in France. One St. Bartholomew's Night claimed the lives of more than 30 thousand people. Of course, this does not justify excessive cruelty in Russia, but each time must be judged by its own laws.

Results and significance of the oprichnina

The oprichnina ceased to exist in 1572 by the decision of Ivan the Terrible himself. An assessment of this historical event is unlikely to give an exact answer whether it was a necessary stage in the formation of the Russian autocracy. Most likely, it was a dangerous mixture of the desire to centralize the country, suppress dissent, strengthen the royal power and personal revenge, resentment, anger.

BONUS

Was surrounded by the Russian Tsar and Elisha Bomelius - "Doctor" of Ivan the Terrible, whom even the most fierce guardsmen feared.